Montemirabile Chapel, Renaissance chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, Rome, Italy
Montemirabile Chapel is a small chapel with hexagonal form, its walls lined with painted Corinthian pilasters and elaborate painted decorations of animals and flowers. The windowless design focuses attention entirely on the artistic wall treatments and the decorated maiolica tile floor.
Bishop Giovanni Montemirabile commissioned this chapel in the 1470s as a confidant of Pope Sixtus IV, making it an early example of Renaissance chapel design. Over time, important tombs were placed inside, including that of Cardinal Antoniotto Pallavicini, which was moved from the old St Peter's Basilica.
The chapel bears the name of its founder, Bishop Giovanni Montemirabile, and visitors today encounter it primarily through its carefully decorated interior walls. You can see painted pilasters and animal and flower ornaments that give the space a distinct character.
This small chapel sits on the left side of the aisle in Santa Maria del Popolo and is open during the church's regular hours. Because it is a narrow, enclosed space, give your eyes a moment to adjust to the softer light before examining the details.
The chapel floor features decorative maiolica tiles in a distinctive pattern that stands apart from the stone floors of the rest of the church. The altar itself holds a painting of the Baptism of Christ by Pasquale Rossi, created in the 1600s.
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